Despite getting out of the starting block slowly, the Howard girls’ basketball team hit its stride in the second quarter and raced past Battle Ground Academy 51-31 in the opening round of the Henry Bowles holiday tournament.
The Lady Hustlin’ Tigers trailed to begin the second quarter, but a 13-2 run before halftime put them in control. Daroneasha Smartt then took over in the second half, scoring all of her game-high 15 points in the final two quarters as Howard continued to pull away.
The win advances the Lady Hustlin’ Tigers (6-1) into today’s championship game against Cane Ridge at 6 p.m.
Howard also got 13 points from Lakera Taylor and 12 from NuQueila Robinson.
“I’m a little surprised by how quickly this team has come together, because we’re still pretty young,” said first-year head coach Ashley Wilbur. “I’ve told them since before the season started that if we ever start to put an ‘I’ before the team, we would not be successful, and the girls have played really strong as a team.
“That’s really the only way we’re going to continue to get where we need to be, and I think this group already understands that.”
BGA earlier beat Notre Dame 54-23.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.